US wine overtakes France: commentary

The news that America has overtaken France in UK sales comes as no surprise. California – which makes 95 per cent of American wine – has been snapping at the heels of the old world for years.

By Adam Lechmere, Editor, Decanter.com

6:09PM GMT 15 Dec 2008

It should be cause for celebration. California produces some of the most finest, long-lived (and expensive) wine in the world. In 1976 – and again in 2006 – Paul Draper's Ridge, Warren Winiarski's Stag's Leap, Chateau Montelena and other California classics were judged, blind, by international experts, to be superior to their French counterparts.

Unfortunately, the wines we Brits are gulping down by the barrel-load are not fine, in any sense of the word.

The list of top-sellers in the UK include a dozen Californian bulk-producers – Gallo tops the list, followed by Blossom Hill, Echo Falls, Rivercrest, Paul Masson (yes – the legendary carafe is still selling in its millions) and Turner Road. Two of those are made by the biggest wine company in the world, the multinational Constellation. Gallo is the second-biggest.

There is no snobbery here. The cheapest wines – sweet, fruity, confectioned – appeal to the simplest of our senses. They're like the fluffiest pop music against a classical concerto. Both are perfect in their place, but only one repays study.

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The fact is, the Americans are very good at marketing their wines. Look at a Gallo ad and compare it with Bordeaux's latest lamentable poster campaign.

You can find very good Californian wine in the UK – Ste Michelle's Eroica Riesling is a delight, anything by Mondavi is generally excellent, and you should have a look at the Eos Petite Syrah from Paso Robles in Southern California.

You just have to work that bit harder to find the good stuff. But it's worth it – just steer clear of the white Zinfandel.